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Archive for February, 2012

Almost three and a half years ago, I wrote this and my thoughts are going back to it.

I’ve been thinking about it and I’ve decided that I do not pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. I don’t pledge my allegiance to any flag, even Virginia’s. I think that pledge allegiance to a silly looking piece of fabric (I’m not a huge fan of the US flag’s design) is exactly what’s wrong with this country.

I thought about instead I would pledge my allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America. But that didn’t sit exactly right. You know what I pledge my allegiance to? The principles upheld by the Constitution and Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. To wit:

That all men are created equal

That they are endowed with certain unalienable rights such as

Life

liberty

the pursuit of happiness

That government governs only with the consent of the governed

That a populace has the right to take up arms against a government that treats them unjustly if that government is not willing or able to make reparation

That church and state should be separate entities and not screw around with each other if they can at all help it

That people should be allowed to gather and discuss even vile and stupid ideas

That with the exception of dangers to national security (not an individual’s security) the government should not keep secrets

That the range of national security dangers is quite narrow

That protesting a government policy is at the core of patriotism

That citizens of a free society have the right to arm and defend themselves if necessary

That the government has an obligation to explain itself when it feels it necessary to search a person or their belongings or property, and that this option must receive approval

That persons have a right to trial by jury of peers when accused of a crime

That there are punishments for crimes and methods of interrogation that go beyond necessary or humane, and these should not be used.

That any citizen has a right to vote and protest and speak

That all men being created equal does not exclude any race, color, creed, or gender

That this list, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, nor any other document contains a comprehensive list of all civil rights nor all principles of good governance.

Why? Because this:

One of these men is an arch-conservative. The other is Rick Santorum

This man also said that JFK believing in the separation of church and state made him “want to throw up.”

GOP, I mean it. You are horrible, vile people if you continue to even consider Santorum.

But that’s off subject. What I really wanted to get at was this.

I’m certain Santorum loves America. Or at least his idea of it. I’m sure the flying flag stirs his heart.

I also think he doesn’t give a fig for what’s actually in the Constitution or any of the principles. And that’s my point. Loving your country, loving its flag, none of that is an ideal that I truly aspire to. I have a love of my country, and even of its flag (which, I still maintain, is a little bit silly looking). But ultimately, where I pledge my allegiance is the principles of humanity that this country is supposed to maintain. And Gingrich and Santorum don’t even pretend to do that. They want to use the Constitution as toilet paper.